The announcement was made at around 8:30 p.m. local time afterthe police evacuated the symbol of Barcelona and also closed themetro station.

The police tweeted, "as part of an anti-terrorist operation, weare carrying out checks and have sealed off the area," adding thatthe streets "Provenca, Rosello and Sardenya " had been closed andadvising people likely to pass the area to find an alternativeroute.

The evacuation coincided with FC Barcelona's debut in theCampions League under strict security measures with the policeasking for "patience" from supporters.

It is thought that the Sagrada Familia was one of the targetsoriginally chosen by the perpetrators who carried out the Aug. 17attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils where 16 people lost their lives.Enditem

TOKYO, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed lower Thursday as a positive lead from Wall Street set a solid tone coupled with a comparatively weak yen against the U.S. dollar, selling by investors to secure gains following the market's recent run of gains became prevalent.

Nonferrous metal, air transportation and precision instrument-linked issues comprised those that declined the most by the close of play, and falling issues beat rising ones by 1,231 to 683 on the First Section.

Brokers here said that in a day of choppy trade investors predominantly opted to secure recent gains on the back of the market's recent winning streak and square away positions ahead of a three-day weekend approaching.

A rise in U.S. shares and a weak yen supporting key exporter issues helped trim losses, traders said, while a rise in oil prices helped lift energy related issues and cap the overall deficit, they added.

"I think there are so many new ideas being developed and tested out in China, because China is urbanizing at such a rapid speed," Harrison said.

Harrison said one example is the incorporation of environmental sustainability considerations into a new city or town at the point of construction, as opposed to introducing measures to reduce environmental damage after it has occurred, which was the case in many European cities.

One project is master planning for Songjiang New City, an area rich in history and culture near Shanghai, which was being turned into a new city under the Shanghai government's One City, Nine Towns plan, passed by the Shanghai Planning Commission in 2001.

"Songjiang also has many aspects of traditional heritage and culture which we have integrated into our overall design."

The garden city concept, first proposed by the UK's urban planner Ebenezer Howard in 1898, emphasizes self-contained communities allowing residents to live harmoniously with their surroundings.

In the city plan Harrison's team created, modern leisure and recreational features such as a golf course co-exist with traditional landscape in a coherent manner "through careful consideration", he said.

"The key thing is to respect the heritage, and not to destroy it, and also to integrate them with the needs of modern life, transport and facilities," Harrison said.

Another feature in Songjiang in which Atkins helped with the architectural, structural and civil engineering work is the Shimao Wonderland InterContinental hotel, being built on the site of a 90-meter-deep abandoned quarry.